


When Our History Was Before Us

by impossiblesongs



Series: Pages Left To Write On (We Will Fill It With Words) [5]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/M, I live a Pond Appreciation Life, Post Episode: s07e01 Asylum of the Daleks, Post-Episode: The Day of the Doctor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-14
Updated: 2014-10-14
Packaged: 2018-02-19 02:25:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2370998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impossiblesongs/pseuds/impossiblesongs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Two solid months had passed since the whole Rory walking out and the divorce papers being served incident, but then the Doctor showed up and the Dalek Asylum happened. They were back on track now, good as new. And what other way to celebrate than to have their daughter over for her father’s birthday?</i> - The Ponds have planned a proper dinner between themselves and their daughter for Rory’s birthday only they are interrupted by a blue box and a Doctor too young to know their names.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When Our History Was Before Us

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** Not my characters. This has been a disclaimer.  
>  **AN:** Okay, so this was a bit unusual, taking place ALL OVER THE PLACE, but hopefully it is somewhat translatable. Takes place after _Asylum of The Daleks_ for the Ponds. Title from 'Love  & Misadventure' by Lang Leav. For River & the Doctor's placing see End Notes. No beta so sorry for the mistakes, etc.

The dinner table was set and ready for three occupants, the only setback was Amy had gone and forgotten the cake she had baking in the oven. She eyed the ruined birthday cake with its black edges and smoky scent while her perfectly manicured fingernails tapped at her chin. After minutes of indecision, she decided it best to send an SOS of sorts to the only person who’d have her back without question and whom would also happen to be joining them for dinner that night. 

 

“Amy!” Rory hollered at her from the upstairs bedroom, breaking her concentration. “Amy, have you seen my blue shirt?”

 

Her main focus was at the sight in front of her, the crusty, no-good-for-anyone-now cake, but she shouted back up at Rory anyway. “Didn’t you burn that one in that starship that one time?”

 

Rory replies something or other but she can’t worry on that now. She squints harder at the ruined birthday cake and throws it in the bin where it belongs. She goes to see to the table and thankfully finds nothing amiss to her eyesight. The plates were spotless, old family ones given to her by her own mother. She figured they’d add a sort of homey touch, whatever that meant. Rory had been adamant on placing the utensils properly for once and so for love of him she’d followed his wishes. The table was good and new, everything looked fine.

 

Suddenly, Rory stepped up in her way and she jumped at his sudden proximity.

 

“ _Oi_!” She squeaked somewhat angrily, swatting him across the chest reflexively. “Don’t scare me like that!”

 

“I’ve been calling out for the past few minutes.” He said in his own defense, his hand coming up to pat gently at where Amy had struck him. “And _ouch_.”

 

“Sorry.” Amy cracked an apologetic smile. “You just, you don’t sneak up on Scottish women, Rory. Not when they’re planning a great, extravagant birthday dinners.”

 

“Getting that.” He mumbled, eyes resting down on the two pair of dress shirts he had with him. “Anyway,” he held both shirts up for her to inspect, “dressing to impress. How exactly does that work again?”

 

Amy grinned at his scowling before taking the shirts from him and looking them over. One was a dark shade of green with little square decorative prints all over it and the other was a plain white dress shirt.

 

“We’ve not entertained in ages.” He commented aloud while she fitted the first shirt over his chest to get an idea of it. She did the same with the white and contemplated in silence. “Amy, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, I know it’s just River and she could care less but still...” Rory chewed on his bottom lip nervously. “Getting together so soon after… well, after everything, and we’ve not talked about it all.”

 

The worry in him did not help ease her own anxieties but Amy found herself answering with more confidence than she really felt.

 

“Of course!” she assured him, throwing the colored shirt over her shoulder before he could make a grab at it. “And this is the one you should wear.” Amy pressed the white onto him. “There. Now off you go, Mister Pond.” she shooed him away. “Lest our daughter arrive and catch you in nothing but your pants.”

 

“You know,” Rory mused just before he left the room, “the way the Doctor pops in and out it’s a wonder that’s not happened yet.”

 

Amy did have to agree with that one.

 

Two solid months had passed since the whole Rory walking out and the divorce papers being served incident, but then the Doctor showed up and the Dalek Asylum happened. They were back on track now, good as new. And what other way to celebrate than to have their daughter over for her father’s birthday?

 

Suddenly the nagging feeling she’d braved through for Rory crept up in her gut again. His nervousness wasn’t exactly illogical. They hadn’t cleared the air with River about what had taken place and their daughter had come around plenty since then. River had been very guarded at first, observing every interaction both her parents had. Of course, she and Rory were guilty of finding ways to avoid the subject. Mister Pond took to spoiling River rotten with gifts and attention while Amy took up all sorts of new (and questionable) hobbies that she would then chatter about nonstop, and then the time travelling just seemed to happened in-between all of that. Before the three of them knew it, everything kept happening and no one had dared to confront the unspoken. It was time to clear the air now. River was a big girl but she more than deserved that much.

 

Amy’s pulled out of her overthinking by a knock at the front door. River, never one to let her mother down, has the most extravagant cake Amy’s ever seen in hand.

 

“What would I do without you?” said Amy, and led her daughter inside. Amy instructed her to set the cake on the center of the table. River produced an overly large bottle of wine from her tiny purse when the cake was in place.

 

“Bigger on the inside.” River explained with a nonchalant shrug.

 

Amy reached for the bottle excitedly. “Oh, you are so my favorite person in the world!”

 

“A gift from a member of the Royal family.” River told her mother, handing it over and following her into the kitchen.

 

Amy grinned, searching for the wine glasses in the top cupboards. “Meaning you stole it.”

 

“It’s not like they’ll need it anyway.” River defended while accepting the glass handed to her. “Not like you do right now.”

 

Amy stilled and glanced at her daughter. River was pointedly looking at the floor.

 

“We’re fine, River.” She promised.

 

“Of course,” River agreed, though halfheartedly. “You always are.”

 

“Hey,” Amy placed her own glass down and reached to lay a hand on River’s arm, finding herself at a loss for what to say. Really, this was the hard part. She wasn’t made for this kind of stuff, she never had been, but River was her daughter and damn it if she didn’t try.

 

Amy opened her mouth to speak only they were interrupted by the familiar sound of the Tardis landing.

 

“You invited him?” the Pond women asked in unison. Quite clear that neither of them had, both women now rushed to see what exactly it could be that had dragged their Raggedy Man to them this time.

 

They found the Tardis out back but it was River who sought out and grabbed at her mother’s wrist before Amy could go banging on the front doors like she always did.

 

“What’s wrong?” Amy asked, noticing how taken aback her daughter looked. “River, what is it?”

 

“Spoilers.” River replied softly before setting her eyes on her mother. River crowded closer and whispered, “Mum, whatever happens, I need you to uphold Rule One.” River instructed. “Go inside and tell dad the same. Wait until I go get you, alright?”

 

Amy wanted to ask on more but the look in her daughter’s eyes forced her to stay silent on such matters. She gave a nod and went back inside to find Rory, leaving River behind, awaiting those familiar blue doors to open.

 

 

*

 

 

It was the Tardis that had clued River in. It needed a repaint and it _sounded_ different. This wasn’t their Doctor inside that Tardis, but a different and much younger one. This one she’d met for a picnic in Asgard not so many moons ago.

 

After just one encounter with him she had gained enough knowledge to know for a fact that this specific version of the Doctor called for calm and collected River Song. This far along in his time, this man, with this face, was not looking for a wife or a lover but an equal. Well, she’d long ago proven a match enough for that. River braced herself.

 

Out he pops in a matter of seconds and he spots her instantly. His mouth fixes in the shape of an ‘ _O’_ and his eyes grow wide, startled perhaps. He swaggers out of his Tardis anyway, all long and leggy, sticking his hands into his pockets and sniffing the air noisily through his nostrils.

 

“Professor Song.” He utters, eyes setting on his surrounding and taking it in. She’d reckon his brain is probably making blueprints of the backyard this very second. He'd told her once, her Doctor, that he knew this place was for her parents before he even bought it for them. This surprise landing explains that at least.

 

“Hello, sweetie.” River greets in return.

 

“Didn’t expect to find you here.” He says. The way he looks at her, she just can’t place what it is that she doesn’t like about it. “I wonder, what exactly is an archeologist doing here?”

 

“I could ask you the very same thing, my love.” Little fibs could be made an exception for, she thinks, and continues, “But if you must know, I do sort of live here. I'm using the term 'sort of' very loosely, by the way.”

 

He nods his head at her, bit by bit dragging himself nearer to where she stands. He is making it an issue, the inevitability of closeness, yet as much as she is fascinated with this face she’s not in the mood to deal with any of his discomforts.

 

“Where have you just come from?” River asks him straight out. “Have you done Asgard?”

 

“No.” he answers. “We have met though. I’ve got an idea of why the Tardis would bring me to you, actually. You seem to know a lot about me. Everything, really.”

 

River does not confirm nor deny, she waits. The Doctor stares at her, scratching the back of his neck momentarily before a full smile breaks out across his face, whatever internal battle he’s been waging long forgotten. Now he’s just gleeful in her presence and wanting to share whatever is on his mind.

 

“I just saved Gallifrey.” He confesses, catching her off guard. The laughter that bubbles out of him is a bit hysterical, shrouded with disbelief and after-effecting nerves. “God, I’m going to forget it soon,” he babbles on, shaking a bit. “The time streams are out of sync – future me said – but I did it just now! We did it, and everybody lived!”

 

His long limbs move quickly until he’s towering right over her. “River,” he whispers, but his smile is gone and there are tears quickly gathering in his eyes. The rest comes out in a broken sob, “I just saved my planet.”

 

Suddenly he’s falling into her arms, his lanky body all angles she’s not familiar with and she just barely latches onto him before he crumples onto the ground. His hands grab for her too, terrified and anxious and seeking for something sturdy to hold. All those lives he saved on Gallifrey are making themselves present. River shushes him and murmurs affections into his ear, holding onto him, this different Doctor, and knowing all too well how saving a life can weigh a pretty pound too.

 

 

*

 

 

“They’re hugging now.” Says Rory from where he stands peering out the upstairs window. “Or I think that's hugging. Gods, he’s really skinny this go ‘round. Who would have thought he could get skinnier?”

 

“Get away from there.” Amy scolds. “And grant them a little privacy, would you?”

 

“Don’t see why I have to,” Rory muttered, “this is my house and he is my son-in-law. He _gave_ us this house!”

 

“River said Rule One,” Amy reminded, “meaning this Doctor doesn’t know us yet.”

 

“Well, he knows her.” Rory sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

“He always knows her.” Said Amy.

 

Rory shifted in his place. “Not always.”

 

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Amy inquired, glaring at her husband.

 

“Nothing,” Rory said quietly, shoving himself away from the window. “I’m just hungry and tired alright? Just forget I mentioned it.”

 

“No, you tell me what you mean by that.” Amy demanded, filling with concern. With Rory’s continued silence, Amy’s anxieties grew yet again. “So are we going to tell her about maybe stopping?”

 

Rory grunted, “What would that help? We’ve not even decided on it properly.”

 

“She’s a time traveler, Rory, and our daughter. She’s got a right to know if we might stop.”

 

“Amy,” Rory shook his head sadly. They both stilled at the sound of the Tardis dematerializing. “We’re going to talk about something big tonight and adding this in will just be another thing she has to worry over. We should tackle one obstacle at a time, yeah?”

 

 

*

 

 

“It was a lovely cake, River.” Rory complimented when all three of their dinner plates were empty and they were all feeling good and fed.

 

“So,” Amy swirled the glass of wine in hand carefully and raised her eyebrows playfully, “younger Doctor, eh?”

 

“Mother,” River rolled her eyes, “don’t start.”

 

Amy’s eyes went wide with innocence. “What’s all this about starting? I’m his mother-in-law, I’ve rights.”

 

“Least he has eyebrows.” Rory muttered from behind his wine glass, taking a sip and setting it down again. “I saw eyebrows this time.” He said, matter-of-factly.

 

River shook her head fondly and quipped, “I can never bring anyone home, can I?”

 

Rory smiled indulgently at that but did not comment. Amy however saw the chance to act while the mood was light.

 

“So, listen, about a few months back…” Amy started.

 

“We don’t have to talk about it.” River cut in. “Honestly, the past is the past, happing here and now and back then and someday, back to front, what matters is this, us. We’ve made it this far together and apart and I think that’s what matters.” She raised her glass to her father. “So I hereby toast a happy birthday to dad. May we all have many more years of the wibbly-wobbly goodness this family so adores, and let us make history of today and tomorrow and yesterday.”

 

Amy and Rory looked at each other, silent for a moment, before Amy raised her own glass, biting back any comment to the contrary of what River had said.

 

“I can live with that.” She said before taking a very long sip.

 

Rory took Amy’s lead, agreeing. “Here, here. To many more.”

**Author's Note:**

> For River this takes place after the Pandorica and for the Tenth Doctor after the 50th. River _has_ done Asgard in this fic but the Doctor has not done anything but the Library, which means Asgard is next for him.


End file.
